Unspeakable
by Marie-Karma
Summary: After long years of work, Hermione succeed. The mystery of the veil was partly solved, partly enough for Sirius Black to return. A man living out of his time and a woman living without a life; who is really in need for help?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Unspeakable**  
Author: **Marie-Karma**  
Language: **English**  
Genre: **Angst, following Romance**  
Rating: **T perhaps will go further.**  
Ship: **Hermione/Sirius**  
Summary: **After long years of work, Hermione succeed. The mystery of the veil was partly solved, partly enough for Sirius Black to return. A man living out of his time and a woman living without a life; who is really in need for help?

**Disclaimer**: The characters and themes belong to J.K. Rowling, the abuse of them belongs to me ^.^

Chapter One – Connections

When Hermione graduated from Hogwarts, she did not become an Auror as everybody expected. She started studying the myths and the ancient culture of the wizards, which surprisingly ended up with her being given the job of an Unspeakable. Hermione fell in love with the department back then, during her 'visit' in her 5th year. She loved the peculiarity of it, things to figure out and understand. She loved the challenge of it. She loved to solve problems.

Up to the age of 23, Hermione worked with time. These 5 years she and her fellow colleagues; Davis Seaford and Kennett Luis found a way to restore time-turners (that took them a year and a half and quite a few sleepless nights). Hermione read over 2,000 books, dealing only with time-turners that year, followed by a few thousand general time-traveling books and the records of both since 5094BC.

Hermione loved her job, the only downside in it was that she could never talk about it with her friends, just as her profession suggested, it was indeed; unspeakable. At first, they would meet in the Borrow during weekends, Ginny would tell some funny story about a kid that blew up his Muggle aunt and give a glare to Harry. Ginny was a healer in St. Mungos. Harry and Ron would tell about their late adventure as Aurors and give Hermione sad smiles. They did not understand that she didn't wish to have a lifelong of being a Super-police man, chasing criminals her entire life. They thought she was missing out on something, perhaps even just being a part of their team, like back then, in Hogwarts. Of course, figuring out cases was interesting and challenging as she liked, but she found her current job much more fascinating.

When they asked her how was her day or what she did that day, she would press her lips together and raise her hands in a "sorry, can't tell," manner. She would give them the dismissing answer; "fine", "alright", "ok" and so on. At some point they stopped asking.

Luna and Neville would tell about their lives at Hogwarts, Neville was an assistant to Spout for 3 years before taking the position completely and letting the old teacher retire. She did not leave Hogwarts however; she became an adviser and in the end of the year she would be one of the examinors, both in magical schools around the world and for home-schooled students. Neville was considered one of the best teachers Hogwarts has ever seen, even though his clumsiness. He was patient and explained everything in the clearest manner possible and he was passionate about his subject, which could not be told about all the teachers in the school (Binns).

Luna was teaching Care of Magical Creatures class, making naïve young students believe in Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, Gulping Plimpies and Blibbering Humdingers. She also went on summer trips to search for the mythical creatures. Surprisingly, during the first 3 years she managed to prove both Nargles and Moon Frogs to be real.

Years passed, they were studying the time-turners and time-traveling in general for nearly two years (It took another half a year to restore the broken time turners, including traveling to deserts for the specific sand, making the glass, etc.). After these two years they went further into time discovering other methods for travelling, including various spells, potions and devices. Hermione was proud of her own time stopping or speeding watch. When Ginny asked where she got the watch Hermione lied, telling she bought it in a Muggle store.

Throughout these 5 years many things have happened. Most of which Hermione was completely, or partly, unaware of.

When Hermione was 23 she began working on her next project, the Veil. It was a busy year, Ginny and Harry got married, Luna was pregnant with the child of her new-found husband George Weasley, they had a private wedding in some ice-hotel in northern Sweden, telling about their marriage after it was done. Ron and Lavender were engaged, planning on marrying next spring. Even Neville was dating Hannah Abbott for nearly 3 years now, who was a fellow healer of Ginny in St. Mangus before she moved to Hogwarts to take Madam Promphery's spot.

Hermione lived in her apartment alone; she had two guest rooms, one for herself, a big living room with a piano (which was ridiculous since she didn't ever know how to play it), a huge kitchen with a small table that could enlarge by magic in case there were guests. For the last 2 years the guest room was occupied only once and the table stood as it was, when she first bought it. Only one chair was used. By Hermione.

After a year working with the veil Hermione did not make any progress, only filling her mind with a few extra hundreds of gigabytes of knowledge. She did not leave the veil project; only put it aside for a while, working with Kennett with the gates to alternative universes. A year later she returned to her project with the veil. Davis would constantly tell her that that would not bring her anywhere, that many have tried to figure out the mystery of the veil; "Throughout centuries," he would tell her, "Ever since 2055BC, and none have solved it and it's still this way today," he would sigh then and send her a tired glance, "Every new Unspeakable tries it in the beginning, they write the same reports, they come to the same conclusions and then they give up, all the same."

Hermione found that he was right when she asked to see the reports. Most were identical and stopped at different level of progress. Hermione asked for the library with all the works that has been done with the veil ever since wizards started worked with it. Davis' aged face frowned but he said nothing and led her into the deeps of the department. The circle of doors was only the first of many. The others were bigger, more confusing, leading to long never ending corridors with as many doors. Half of the Unspeakables were responsible for the exploration when not working on a project. Many of the exploring Unspeakables were aged people, like Davis, in their early 50s or late 40s. At least one Unspeakable would disappear a year behind the doors that were the source of the name of the department: Mysteries.

He led her through 3 circled rooms and 5 corridors; she was having hard time remembering the way. Maybe it was done this way for the new Unspeakables to give up the useless research and start concentrating on something that would perhaps bring use. Hermione knew, once she entered the room with millions works, that she was not going to give up her project.

Hermione was reading a work of a pure-blood wizard from the 600's when the phone rang. The wizard, named Holosinus Devortshield, was insisting that Muggle-born were not able to pass through the veil, it was a privilege of Pure-bloods since only they could go inside. He also told that Half-bloods were slightly aware of what was going on behind the veil but they were not as sensitive as Pure-bloods. Muggle-borns on the other hand were completely ignorant to the events.

The text was written in such a prejudiced way that Hermione almost threw it aside immediately. Swallowing her pride Hermione kept reading, reminding herself that she was a professional, she too remembered that Harry could hear something behind the veil while she didn't. Hermione kept reading granting her teeth at the language and metaphors used by the author. She jumped when the phone rang for the second time.

"Hello?" Her voice sounding a lot more tired than she imagined.

"Hermione, come here quickly!" It was Harry he sounded excited and in pain, her heart started racing immediately.

"What's wrong, Harry? Did something happen?" Her mind racing through the worst possibilities. All the most known Death Eater were caught and spied on –

When has she become such a pessimist?

"Not at all," His voice sounded on the other side of the line, "Ginny is giving birth."

Hermione felt like face-palming herself. How come has she forgotten? "I will be there soon." She said and hang up. Ginny's due date was coming closer and closer in the past few weeks. Due date? It was not a test. Hermione shook her head and grabbed Floo powder to Floo to the hospital. Hermione frowned, did a 'baby due day' actually have a specific title? She shrugged her shoulders.

In front of the room addresses to Ginny stood a crowd of people, most of these red headed Weasleys. Hermione saw the Twins with their wives, Fred with a pregnant Angelina and George with Luna and their little child Chop, Luna insisted that this name would give the child a lot of good luck in life and Nargles would never bother him. George smiled at her in amusement and hugged her, saying that not a day with her is boring, that she would always find a way to make him smile and then he would go even deeper and remind her he loved her.

_Every person with eyes could see it anyway, _Hermione was ashamed of that thought, she really did not mean to be mean or bitter, sometimes it's just taking a tool of her, this whole situation. Which situation? She was not sure, but she knew there was one.

She looked away from the merry couple to see Bill and Fleur there with their 3 daughters, all as much Veelas as their mother. Ron and Lavender were standing there, Lavender plainly nervous and Ron who was cracking a nerve.

Mrs. and Mr. Weasley were there, Molly was rushing from place to place, apparently she could not relax. Perhaps moving and doing anything calmed her down. Hermione remembered her time in the Borrow when Mrs. Weasley would cook to calm her nerves. Arthur on the other hand was talking to Percy's Muggle wife about her job as a manager of relations with the magical world. Charlie was talking to Neville, they were singles tonight. Charlie's wife, Linda, from Romania, was taking care of a dragon birth in Norway; she promised to come as soon as possible. Molly thought it was careless to work with dragons while in the 7th month of pregnancy. Charlie and Linda, however, would smile to one another and say that danger should be their last name (Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes). Neville was standing by the door glancing at it nervously every now and then, his now fiancée was inside helping Ginny to give birth.

Hermione felt like an outsider. "Hermione!" One of the twins finally noticed her arrival, by the fact he had his hands around Angelina, she could only guess it was Fred. "Nice to see you!"

"Nice to see you too, Fred," She smiled, "How are you two doing?"

Angelia patted her big stomach, "Three," she smiled cheekily, her happiness stabbing a little part in Hermione, she could only wish to be like her. "We are great. Fred and George came up with this new selection of products for pregnant women, I think their shop grew 5 times bigger during the last 3 months. How are you?"

"I am pretty good," She could not tell much more, "I should come visit you sometime there, I live a couple of blocks away and haven't been there for 4 years already." Which reminded her, "Do you think you need a bigger apartment now that you are about to have a child?"

Fred looked at his wife, a look that meant that they were in fact looking for a place to move to. "Do you have something in mind?" He asked with a his big charming smile.

Hermione nodded, "I am selling my apartment, it's too big for only me, I am moving to a place only a block away from the Ministry of Magic. It's in Muggle London."

Angelina and Fred once again exchanged a few secret looks before turning to her, "We would like to see it sometime if possible."

That was when the door opened and a happy Harry stepped out of the room with a rigid Hannah, "Only 2 at a time." She warned with a serious glance before cracking into a smile: "It's a boy!"


	2. Chapter 2 Boarders

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter and others are not mine, however I do bend them to my will (:

Chapter Two - Boarders

Hermione 27 years old, living in a small penthouse a few blocks away from the entrance to the Ministry on Magic, had no personal life whatsoever. She was obsessed with her job. After 3 years in this project she thought she found some pattern in the works of the Unspeakables and the books she had read. The Veil was not a dark object; neither was it an object at all. It was somewhat of an independent being, living by its own rules.

Hermione closed the third book for that evening with a sigh; it didn't tell her anything she didn't know already. Here she came to another brick wall. Only when she thought she might finally figure it out, it turned on her. For the fourth time that evening she considered abandoning that project. Really, it wasn't any good. She has lost any attachments to her friends and family, she spent many nights up, trying to understand the concepts of that damned veil.

What was that whole thing for? Yes, it was her natural curiosity, but not only that, she wanted to get Sirius Black out of there, that was true too, and yet, what drove her to do that, she didn't know. Hermione climbed off her bed, that was not easy, considering it was filled with papers and books, some of which, more than 2000 years old.

She filled the bathtub in the middle of the room, the penthouse was 50 stories high. She lived on the 47th one, having a good view on London. Fred and Angelina paid her well for her previous apartment, which she bought for the money she got from selling her parents' house who chose to stay in Australia. The other thing that allowed her to buy the place was her salary as an Unspeakable. They are well paid for their silence.

The rest of her friends had full sized houses with many rooms; they after all, had families. With a wide backyard and a sunny fortress, whenever it was sunny in England, they had a place for the kids to run around and play in the safety of their property. Hermione had a cat. And Crookshanks died a year ago. She didn't need space other than for herself and her books. She had one single room with a huge bathtub in the middle, a living room that was more of a study and an open kitchen of which Hermione was in a huge favour of. On the other side of the room, opposing the kitchen was Hermione's bed, also looking more like a place to study in, rather than a place to sleep in. Honestly, it was one huge room with all the aforementioned facilities in it.

With a sudden kick of depression Hermione felt like drowning in her bath, her life was empty; she was not living, rather existing. Her only reason for living seemed to be her determination in solving the veil. She has been working on it for 3 years already, and that was when the most stubborn Unspeakables would let go. The man that worked with it longest was Hertford Mullins, he has worked on it 6 years to leave it and work with the brains in that weird chamber. Hermione shivered with the memory. She had no idea what they brains were used as, she knew they were somewhat of pensieves of a sort but she never looked any deeper into it.

The only one that exceeded him was Holosinus Devortshield and she knew what happened to him. She knew that _that_ happened to everyone who dealt with the veil for too long. Hermione told herself that she will not end up like those miserable being. But lately, she started to doubt everything. Even her own sanity.

Hermione was only asked on a date once during these 9 years after graduating Hogwarts. It was by a Muggle, he saw some Wizarding children and parents asking her to sign a photograph of her and Harry and Ron. He decided that she was somewhat a celebrity and came around to flirt. That day Hermione was running late to work, it was her very first week. She should not come late while the impression of her as a worker was only building up. And the Muggle annoyed her anyway, so she politely excused herself, swearing never walk to work ever again. She nearly ran into a narrow allay to disapparate away. The Muggle followed her, but she disappeared before he had the chance to walk around the corner.

Other than that, none of the wizards would come any near her. Some thought she was Ron's property, others thought Harry Potter would kill them if they looked at her the wrong way, and some were just not interested in her so start with. And there were these few that knew her, and saw what she was turning into, and just avoided her at all costs.

Needless to say, Hermione was lonely.

The year is 2008, Hermione is about to celebrate New Year with her friends. Ginny and Harry are sitting with two little children on their laps, Ginny is planning on a third _and last_, she is telling Harry with a warning glance. Luna and George are running after their trouble makers, Max and Chop, who teamed up with Charlie's and Linda's child; Greg. That was in the living room of the Potters. Hermione did not wish to even think of what was going on in the kitchen with Percy, Ron, Bill and Fred with their wives and children.

Neville and Hannah and their little daughter; Dorothy were the quietest ones, polite and cheerful. But Hermione could not help but feel alone again. She shook her head at the thoughts and braided Victoire's long blond hair. She was Bill's eldest daughter.

"Hermione!" Ginny called across the room, "Come to the kitchen!"

Hermione patted the girls head and took off the couch in the direction of the kitchen out of which Ginny emraged. "Harry! Darling!" She called to her husband. Harry was busy talking to Ron at the moment but immediately turner to face her. _Here we see who's the man in the house,_ thought Hermione. "Take care of the kids with the other men! We are going to have a women's talk around here."

To Hermione's surprise Harry nodded and went off with Ron, it was time to put them to sleep anyway. Ginny sized Hermione's arm and dragged her into the kitchen sitting her in a chair between herself and Angelina. Hermione found herself around a round table with Ginny, Luna, Hannah, Linda, Andromeda, Sarah, Lavender, Fleur, and Angelina. That was the point when Hermione started regretting ever coming to celebrate New Year there.

An hour later Fleur and Lavender were having a heated discussion about their girls, Fleur saying that girls should learn from early age to keep their clothes clean while Lavender was claiming that a few ruined skirts would only teach them a lesson. Hermione sighed; she had nothing to add to that conversation. Angelina and Linda were talking about the brooms for children they got for Christmas. Ginny and the rest were discussing morning sickness during the early pregnancy.

Was it irony that they choose that subject that day? They usually spoke about other things, as their jobs, but then again, in those conversations Hermione could hardly participate either. But really, what was a big part of a woman's life? A woman's day was divided into two parts, her time at work and her time at home with her family. She couldn't blame them.

"Hermione," suddenly Ginny turned her attention to the brown haired witch, "Are you planning on having children any time soon?"

Hermione clucked dryly, "With whom would that be, may I ask?"

"You could fuaind a nize man," Fleur answered, "I don't zee why you didn't du zo yet."

"Fleur," Sighed Hermione tiredly, "If I could find a nice man, I would have done so long ago."

It was Hermione's 30th birthday that she was expecting her parents to join her in London. When they were a whole hour late, Hermione called the airport to ask for the delay. The plane with her parents crushed. Hermione hasn't spoken to anyone in 3 weeks. That birthday she celebrated wearing a black dress, crying and mourning, with a glass of red wine.

The wine reminded her of blood, the blood she saw during the war. She felt it all over again: the pain of losing Dumbledore, the pain of losing the Lupins, and most of all: the pain of losing Sirius. She threw the glass at the grand window that made her wall that observed London. The glass crushed having the wine, her favourite Toscana, spilled on the grand window glass and the carpet below. She dropped to her knees and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning Harry found her there, on the same spot where she fell the day before. She spoke to him only 3 weeks later.

"I loved them," Her silent voice shocked him after all these evenings of silence.

He smiled sadly, "I know, Hermione, I lost loved people as well."

She nodded, "I miss them already," she whispered, "I could go months without talking to them, but now I have to speak to them."

Harry looked at her, she was dressed in her blue gown, "It will get easier, after some time." He sighed, "I still miss Sirius, you know, and Remus too, sometimes I still wait for Sirius to show up and tell that it was all some sort of a sick joke."

He shook his head and sadly smiled at her again, looking back into his plate of rice and chicken, "It's odd; I know that Remus is gone and I miss him, but I know he will not return, with Sirius it is different, it's like he is not completely gone, do you understand?"

When he turned to look at her next she was already heading for the door in a rush. Harry finished his food and headed home to his children and wife. He had to inform Ginny about Hermione's development, he will question her unpredictable departure later.

Hermione would not stop running; she knew where it was; now taking the oddly familiar doors and gates of the department she was running at the top of her speed. The Unspeakables she passed in her way were giving her funny looks, but she ignored them. She knew what she had to find and she would find it.

Another evening in Lavender's home, this time, Hermione was sitting in a circle around a big kitchen table. It was late and the women were drinking tea and eating one of Lavender's best cookies and marmalades (Hermione had to admit, these were amazing). The children were already asleep and the men were out. Lavender decided that it was a great opportunity to open the Tarot.

Hermione was never a fan of divination, simply because she never succeeded in it, and anyway; she did not consider it an important subject that will help her anywhere in life. Hermione was proven wrong when she could not take a part in the research in the "Hall of Prophecies" but Hermione was never interested in that anyway. She worked in the Chamber of Death for 6 years already.

Before that she worked in the Chamber of Time, one she did really enjoy. Once she was finished with her current project she planned to go work in the Chamber of Love, that is, if they opened it. Hermione heard Dumbledore claiming that they always kept it closed. So far, it was true. But in any case, there were many other Chambers she could work it; the Space Chamber and her beloved Gates Corridor. She has worked there one year and it was probably the most interesting experience she had.

"Ginny, it seems that you are going to get a promotion," Hermione heard Lavender giggling as an outside noise. She saw Hannah reaching for the cards and picking up 3. Ostensibly, according to Lavender, Hannah was about to have a child during the following year.

"Hermione," Lavender turned to Hermione and reached out with the cards, "Pick." She commanded.

Hermione shook her head, "I don't believe in stuff like that, you know it Lavender."

"You have nothing to lose," she encouraged. Ginny smiled in a challenging way and even Hannah raised her eyebrows at her. Refusal was socially unacceptable it seemed.

With a sigh she reached for the cards.

She was less than an inch from them when she felt the energy radiating from them. Summoning all her Gryffindor courage (which Lavender would have thought was absurd) she picked up her first of 3 cards.

As she turned the first card Hermione took a sharp in-take and immediately regretted taking any part at the ridiculous Tarot readings or whatever these girls (now women) decided they were doing.

"Stop panicking Hermione!" Hermione heard Lavender call beyond her steaming thoughts. "Death is _not_ a bad card!"

"Oh, really?" Hermione laughed hysterically, she didn't even realize she brought herself into such a state; the stress was taking a tool of her. She was told many times, by Davis and others that she should cut down on an hour or two of work each day. Davis even threatened to do that for her once or twice. Hermione felt highly abashed by the fact that her boss wouldn't let her work. "What does it mean then?"

"It's a change, and it will happen in the next year." The fortune teller took a slip of her tea before continuing. "Something will break that routine you set yourself, and break it for good."

Hermione reached for the other two cards and looked up at Lavender as she read them with a careful look. Hermione was starting to get worried when Lavender finally spoke. Hermione saw all the women around the table leaning in to hear what the Seer had to say. Hermione was almost ashamed to realize that she did the same. But curiosity took over her, making her quickly forget of all of her past entitlements.

"Hermione, are you working on a very important project currently?" Hermione's eyes widened and that gave Lavender the answer she was looking for. "Looks like this project is going to end soon, you are going to finish it. Maybe you will not get full results, maybe it will even confuse you more than answer your questions," Hermione was fully aware of the fact that she was imbibing every word Lavender was saying as desperate dying creature, she wondered if she actually was one. "Whatever the results would be, you will be content with them. Once it's finished, you will finally be happy and get the internal peace you've been searching for all along."

Hermione was looking at her wide eyed. So that was why so many women loved this fortune telling stuff. Lavender kept talking and Hermione listened carefully: "There is another change followed by the project's end," she slightly taped her finger at the last card, "The will be a man, he is coming for you. You have waited for him for too long and he has been waiting for ages. In a matter of a year you will reunite. It's Karmic, Hermione."

When Hermione returned home that evening she nearly cursed herself for falling for the disillusions of scrying, when she analyzed every words said there she came to a conclusion. Lavender said she was working on a project, which would be a very expected thing from a person with a profession such as hers. One would not need to be a rocket scientist or a psychic for that matter, to come to the converging conclusion that yes, an Unspeakable, such as herself, would likely be working at a research job, seeing as the only information that was actually known of Unspeakables was that they were _researching _some clandestine matters. When it came to finishing the project, that has not happened yet, and even if it would, it could be a mere coincidence. Hermione decided not to ponder about it until something actually happened to prove any of the seers words right. With a sigh Hermione wondered if the chasm between her and her friends has come too far to close one day. They were absurdly cleft of late.

With another sigh she dropped herself unceremoniously to the bed, not at all caring about her ruffled clothes. She would not let her think of the man Lavender promised her to come. It was a sham, a barbed one she wanted to think, but she knew it was not and refrained from such thoughts. Hermione has long ceased to dream of a bluff, strong man that would sweep her off her feet. She didn't dream of love, of passion and romance, and lately even humble visions of marriage and children seemed to fade. _I am growing old,_ Hermione reflected before deciding to close her eyes and never think of that evening again.

_Flower123__, xxTeam-Masterxx _and_ The Light from Within_, thank you so much for reviewing, I hope I will not disappoint you, and I hope you liked this chapter, all who read it.


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